Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A TRIBAL NATION
As a small, landlocked country whose language sets it apart from its neighbours, Hungary
isatribalnation,whosecitizensstillidentifywiththeirancestors,paganMagyartribeswho
conquered the Carpathian Basin in 896 AD. Since the epochal Christmas Day when the
Magyar ruler Vajk was baptized and crowned as King Stephen by a papal envoy, Hungary
has identified itself with Europe while simultaneously remaining aware of its “otherness”
- a sentiment reinforced by successive foreign occupations and the loss of much of its ter-
ritory to neighbouring states.
The symbol of statehood is
St Stephen's Crown
, whose bent cross - caused by it being
squashed in the eighteenth century - is a cherished sign of the vicissitudes that Hungary
has endured, and features on the national
coat of arms
that you'll see everywhere in Bud-
apest. The shield beneath the crown bears a Catholic cross of Lorraine, and the red and
white “Árpád stripes” of the early Magyar tribal kings; today, the latter signify far-right
loyalties, having formerly been employed as the flag of the Fascist Arrow Cross. With the
fall of Communism, St Stephen's Crown returned to the coat of arms, but not to the nation-
al
flag
- which is a simple red, white and green tricolour.
PRINCE FERENC RÁKÓCZI II STATUE OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT
